A Hogwarts Goodbye
by Kiley 1 09
Summary: Lily and James with Marauders and Alice and Frank, it's their last year. Lily likes James. James PRETENDES he doesn't like her. Alice and Frank have something to celebrate. A willow tree, carvings, love, and a great one-shot that I hope people will read :


**Disowner: I do not own any of this . . . . . sadly. :D**

**A Kiley 1 09 fic.**

Lily Evans didn't understand what the problem was with her. Why would James Potter give up on her? I mean that's what she wanted. Well at least she used to. But when she heard a commotion on the Hogwarts Express two weeks ago when it was the first day of school she was sure it was Potter and Black messing with first year Slytherins. But what she saw when she came out of her compartment with her friends made her mind reel for two days afterwards. There was James Potter's black hair sticking up in all angles like usual except when she saw it it kinda made butterflies flutter in her stomach. And if that wasn't all he was in dark blue jeans with converses on and a maroon long sleeve shirt with the sleeves pushed up on his arms and his arms were _fine. _Lily had to use all her strength just to make sure her jaw wouldn't drop. Than his eyes behind his black glasses were more hazel than she ever saw. Or maybe she just noticed them for the very first time. And the mind reeling thing came from she saw he was helping a third year Ravenclaw collect his books and robes he dropped when a fifth year Slytherin knocked into him on purpose. James handed him his books and started to say your welcome to the boy and telling him an incantation to block and hexes if he got any. The boy was intently listening to him and James was talking to him very kindly. When the boy left and James turned around he found her, Lily Evans, staring so hard at him as if he was something amazing. Lily remembered James going up to her looking so good in that maroon shirt it was almost making her go dizzy and tell her that he was Head Boy this year and he hoped that they could become friends for the sake of the school. Than she remembered him saying he had to go change into his robes and giving a good-natured friendly pat on the arm he walked away without looking back. But there Lily stood, her arm tingling with electricity where he touched her. And she was clearly blown away with, well, everything that just happened.

And that's why here she was Lily Evans, wondering why James Potter was all she could think about and why he didn't like her anymore. What has she changed about herself that made him stop? If she ever found out what she did to herself she would immediately change it back because all though she couldn't admit it to her best mate, Alice, and hardly herself, she fancied James Potter a lot. And she had a feeling that there was no way that the feeling would go away any time soon.

Oh Merlin how sometimes he would come into their common room that the Heads' had to themselves after he just showered from Quidditch practice, his raven hair wet but obviously shaken out and his eyes alight with newness, and all Lily would want to do is push him up against a wall and snog him to death. But she always managed to restrain herself.

Lily was snapped out of her thoughts when Alice came running into the her room.

"How'd you get in here, Alice? Only James and me knows the password." Lily asked

"I just caught him coming out and he had the portrait stay open for me." Alice said kinda out of breath.

"Another question Alice. Why are you out of breath?"

"Well that's actually one great story." Alice said taking a seat on Lily's bed. She was oddly fiddling with her left hand and something on one of her fingers.

"Well go on then tell it."

"Well you see, I was going to meet Frank out by the willow tree . . ." Alice said while running her left hand through her brown chestnut hair. Lily caught a glimpse of something shining on her ring finger. Lily stood up knocking over the chair she was sitting in.

"OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MERLIN!!!!! ALICE IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS!?" Lily practically shouted. She was almost jumping up and down, her eyes huge, and her mouth formed a huge grin.

"Yep." was what Alice simply stated before showing Lily the ring up close.

"HOLY MERLIN!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD! YOUR ENGAGED! Alice I'm so happy for you! Oh I knew you and Frank were meant for each other! OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!! When's the wedding?" Lily said while jumping up and down holding Alice's hands who was also jumping up and down laughing, they were now on Lily's bed. Despite the issue of almost smacking their heads' on the ceiling they were jumping so high.

"It's gonna be after we graduate. Maybe a Fall wedding would be nice. And Lily I have to ask you something." Alice said seriously, after she stopped jumping up and down.

"That would be lovely, and sure ask away." Lily said still smiling.

"Would you be my maid of honor?" Alice asked with a laugh.

Lily was silently staring at Alice. Until she registered what she just said,

"Merlin yes! OH MY GOD! YES! Why wouldn't I be, you big lovely git!?" Lily said hugging Alice super tight.

"Just making sure." Alice laughed hugging her back.

After the girls went to the kitchens to get some Hot chocolate and come back up to Lily's common room couch they sat there enjoying the rest of their Saturday and talking about Alice's wedding.

O.o.O

As was to be expected sooner or later James came in with the Marauders with them. They walked right in on the giddy girls examining Alice's ring. As James said hello to them not noticing anything special in particular and same with Sirius and Peter. But Remus noticed the dazzling diamond on Alice's ring finger.

"Alice?" Remus asked nodding towards the ring.

"Yep. Frank asked me just this afternoon." Alice grinned and Remus grinned too, chuckling as he made his way over to them and kissed Alice on the cheek saying congratulations asking to see the pretty jewel. Sirius, James, and Peter all watched this completely confused.

"Frank asked you what, Alice?" Sirius asked from an armchair he just planted himself into while Peter sat on the floor, Remus sat next to Alice on the couch still asking her about the wedding without using those WEDDING WORDS and James sat next to Lily on the same couch. James being so close to Lily had a dizzying effect on her and she felt her breaths become kinda hitched now and then. She had to keep taking large breaths to calm herself.

And while she knew that none of this was happening to James she was so wrong. James himself had the strongest of strongest urges to kiss her until there was no air left in the world. Because all though she didn't know that after he caught her staring he was inconspicuously observing her as well. Her hair was glowing like a halo and her eyes were shining with shock. And even though as he walked away without looking back, he practically ran to his compartment when she couldn't see him anymore and when he got inside he shut the door and leaned his head back with his eyes closed. Breathing deeply in and out. Because even though he just patted her on the arm, declared they should be friends, and pretended that he didn't like her anymore he actually did and that was the hardest thing to do.

So sitting next to her effected him just as much at it effected her and she was so wrong about that.

"Yea Alice so what's up? Why you and Lily freaking out?" James asked trying to get his mind off the angel sitting next to him.

"Well Frank asked me this morning. He asked me to marry him." She and Lily and Remus cracked up watching Sirius and James's mouths drop all the way to the ground and eyes huge. Peter still didn't get what was going on. And than when James finally shook himself out of his stupor he grinned like a maniac and leaned over to Alice to kiss her on the cheek and congratulate her too.

"Now let me see that ring." James chuckled as Alice put her hand across Lily to show James the ring.

"Wow, that's beautiful." James smiled.

"Thank you." was all that Alice said.

Sirius still in shock asked again unbelievably,

"So wait. He asked you to marry him? Holy -"

James quickly covered Sirius's mouth with his hand after giving the girls an apologetic smile to Sirius's outburst.

Alice and Lily laughed.

"Yes he did, Sirius." Alice said saying it slowly.

"So where did he ask you?" Remus asked.

"Over by the willow tree."

The willow tree was where the Marauders hung out for a lot of their Hogwarts years. As did Lily and Alice, and a lot of other people. Of course Lily made sure that whenever she and Alice would sit under it Potter and his friends wouldn't be there too. And there were carvings on tons of the branches of lovers who came before them in Hogwarts. And at the bottom of the tree there were 4 carvings that Lily always found interesting.

There was one that was a mouse foot carving, a foot of a dog carving, a hoof print that looked like a deer's print, and a full moon. They were interesting as was all the carvings of names of best mates and lovers. Lily knew that before the school year ended she would have her name on that tree. And hopefully her name wouldn't be alone. Lily frowned and than jumped when she felt soft breathing in her ear.

"You alright?" James asked so only she could hear

"Yea I'm fine." she smiled at him, shivering because he had his hand on her knee and she definitely knew if she would have to get up and walk she wouldn't be able to. He made her knees feel like jelly.

"Good. Are you cold?" James asked noticing her shiver.

"Nah. I'm fine. Really." Lily said but he wouldn't listen to her. He took off the Gryffindor sweatshirt he was wearing and gave it to her. He was only wearing a white t-shirt and his bare arms were against her bare arms since she was only in a t-shirt. Nevermind about his arms _looking _fine the _felt _amazing against her arms. She almost didn't want to put on the sweatshirt knowing it would cover up her arms. But she did. And the sweatshirt was warm and surprisingly she realized she was cold because the sweatshirt felt so ice and cozy. Wrapping her in heat. The smell of James just was all over the sweatshirt. It wasn't a bad smell. And it wasn't a smell she could identify. It was just him. As she pulled the sleeves of the sweatshirts arms over and past her hands she felt oddly complete. I t was a feeling she never felt before. Of course Lily being in this world of hers and James was in his own world neither of them heard their friends get up from the couch and say their names. Lily was shaken by a laughing Alice.

"Geez Lily, you are amazing." Alice said shaking her head with an amused expression on her face. Lily just smiled and got up from the couch which became very comfortable. With Lily not being by his side snapped James out of his daydreams. After shaking his head out he and the rest of them decided to go down for dinner. Lily walking next to James still wearing his sweatshirt, Sirius and Remus and Alice talking about something avidly, and Peter just lagging behind. When they came into the Great Hall it seemed all the students were there already. Everyone turned to look as Head Girl and Boy walked down the Gryffindor table and sat down next to each while they sat across from Frank and as Alice sat next to her fiance and Sirius sit down next to James and Remus next to Lily and Peter across from Sirius. Still through all that the whole Hall was super quiet. Sirius was the first to notice it.

"Guys, why is everyone staring at us?" He asked looking around very discretly and hardly moving his lips as he talked.

But Lily and James couldn't hear him. They were staring at each other. And that was it. The breaking point for each of them. Lily talked first very fast to James and very quiet.

"Okay, look, I've been trying to say this for awhile and I can hardly admit it to myself and even though I know you don't return the same feelings I at least need you to listen to me because I will never be able to admit this ever again and the year is almost over." She said in one breath. As James listened to her he stared into her emerald green eyes. And he saw love. Something he never thought he would ever see in those eyes directed to him. Lily began to talk again,

"So James what I have to say is . . . . well, ummm . . . . is that I . . . . ummm . . . . .uhh . . . . I FANCY YOU A LOT OKAY?" Lily said super fast and kinda louder than before. James's eyes went wide and so did everone else's in the whole Great Hall. Alice was the first to get over it and grinned.

Lily's whole face was as red as her hair and she lowered her head. She couldn't bear to see James's face any longer. So Lily got up from the table and took about three steps when she all of a sudden felt a warm big hand on her elbow. She was swung around to meet James's smiling face and kind happy eyes. He immediately pulled her into a kiss that made the whole hall smile.

"You can be so dumb for a girl who's suppose to be so smart sometimes, Lily." He teased when they ran out of air. "Of course I like you. Hell, I even love you." he chuckeled.

"Really?" Lily asked breathlessly

"Always have, always will." He said. Lily smiled and than put her hands around his neck and pulled his head down to hers for another kiss. After a tiny bit there was a clearing of a throat from the front of the room. They broke the kiss James looking kinda dazed and Lily turning to the person. Dumbledore smiled at her and the twinkle in his eye was sparkiling. Lily smiled sheepishly and pulled James back down to their seats with her holding his hand. The faces of their friends looked like a miracle just came. And as dinner went on everything was good. Lily held James's hand under the table. And they shared smiles and laughed and when dinner was over the two of them parted from their friends to go up to the Heads Dorm.

When they got there James immediately kissed her. It was sweet but solid.

"Merlin, you have no idea how long I've waited for you to say what you did." He said sweetly resting his forehead against hers looking straight into her eyes.

Lily laughed her chiming laugh.

"I've been bursting to tell you that since the beginning of the year," she said closing her eyes. Slowly without opening their eyes and still resting their foreheads together James put one hand in Lily's and the other on her waist and they danced in the dancing shadows that the fire in the fireplace made. There was no music. It was just them. After they stopped dancing and James just held Lily in his arms like he always wanted to do and kissed her on her head and buried his nose in her hair they felt sleepy. So as they trudged upstairs they went Lily's room. As Lily made her way to her bed James stood in the doorway not knowing if he should come in or not. Lily turned around to smile at James and beckoned him forward.

"Come 'ere." Was all she said as she laid down on one side of the bed and James lay down on the other. They were both still completely clothed. And Lily still realizing she had James's sweatshirt on grinned at him when they both were laying on their sides facing each other.

"You probably want this back, don't you?" Lily asked

"Nah. You look good in it." James grinned back.

He wrapped his _fine _arms around her waist and hugged her close. She rested her head on his chest and soon their breathing were the same and their hearts' were beating together.

Needless to say the fell asleep like that.

O.o.O

5 months later, as Lily and James and the Marauders and Alice and Frank all graduated from Hogwarts if you went over to the willow tree you would see engraved on it:

_Lily_

_Loves _

_James_

with a big heart around it.

And then you would also see:

Alice + Frank

and:

**MARAUDERS WERE HERE**

Then at the bottom above the carvings of the dog, stag, mouse, and moon it said,

_**Mischeif Managed.**_

**(A/N Hope everyone like it. I was feeling good about it in the beginning then in the middle not so much but I really really really really like how the ending turned out. It's a goodbye ending. :)**


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